Trump proposed getting rid of FEMA, but his review council seems focused
on reforming the agency
[August 29, 2025]
By GABRIELA AOUN ANGUEIRA
Four days after starting his second administration, President Donald
Trump floated the idea of “ getting rid of ” the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, which manages federal disaster response. But at a
Thursday meeting, the 12-person review council he appointed to propose
changes to FEMA seemed more focused on reforms than total dismantlement.
FEMA must be “reformed into an agency that is supporting our local and
state officials that are there on the ground and responsive to the
individuals that are necessary to help people be healed and whole
through these situations,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said,
who co-chairs the council. But, she added, FEMA “as it exists today
needs to be eliminated.”
However, the meeting in Oklahoma City offered hints of what types of
reforms the council might present to Trump in its final report. Members
mainly focused on conventional and oft-cited opportunities for change,
such as getting money faster to states and survivors and enhancing the
capacity of local emergency managers.
But some moves by the administration in the last several months have
already undermined those goals, as mitigation programs are cut and the
FEMA workforce is reduced. Experts also caution that no matter what the
council proposes, changes to FEMA's authority and operations require
Congressional action.
A Republican-dominated council
President Donald Trump created the FEMA Review Council through a January
executive order instructing the group to solicit feedback from a “broad
range of stakeholders” and to deliver a report to Trump on recommended
changes within 180 days of its first meeting, though that deadline has
lapsed.
The 12-person council is co-chaired Noem and Defense Secretary Pete
Hegseth and vice-chaired by former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant. It
is made up of elected officials, emergency managers and other leaders
mostly from Republican states.
Trump “believes we should be in a disaster-response portfolio and
footprint,” Noem said at Thursday's meeting, “but the long-term
mitigation should not be something that the federal government is
continuing to be involved in to the extent that it has been in the
past.”
Noem attended virtually, citing efforts toward “bringing some peace to
the streets of Washington, D.C.”
Members on Thursday presented some findings collected in listening
sessions conducted in multiple states and with Native tribes. Much of
the discussion touched on the need to get money to states more quickly
and with more flexibility. Trump and Noem have both supported the idea
of giving states federal block grants quickly after a disaster instead
of the current reimbursement model.
Members have spent “hours, maybe even days, exploring ways to accelerate
local recovery through direct funding for public and individual
assistance,” Guthrie said.
Making plans beforehand
Several members emphasized improving preparedness and mitigation before
disasters hit.
“Mitigation saves lives, it protects property, it reduces cost of future
disasters,” said Guthrie, but added that more responsibility should fall
on individuals and state and local governments to invest in mitigation.
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters is photographed
in Washington, May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
States like Texas and Florida have robust, well-funded emergency
management agencies prepared for major disasters. Members
acknowledged that if other state and local governments were to take
on more responsibility in disasters, they still needed training
support.
Methods for governments to unlock recovery dollars without relying
on federal funds also came up, such as parametric insurance, which
provides a rapid payout of a previously agreed-upon amount when a
triggering event occurs.
The meeting focused less on individual survivor support, but Bryant
brought up the need to reform — and protect — the National Flood
Insurance Program, calling it “vital.” That program was created by
Congress more than 50 years ago because many private insurers
stopped offering policies in high-risk areas.
The rhetoric around FEMA is evolving
The conversation signaled a departure from some of the more
aggressive rhetoric Trump and Noem have used in the past to describe
their plans for FEMA. As recently as June, Trump suggested “ phasing
out ” the agency after the 2025 hurricane season.
Michael Coen, who held FEMA posts under three presidential
administrations, said after three council meetings, recommendations
remain vague.
“Council members provided their perspective but have not identified
the challenge they are trying to solve or offered a new way
forward,” Coen said.
Coen also cautioned that any significant changes must go through
Congress. Lawmakers in July introduced a bipartisan reform bill in
the House. The so-called FEMA Act echoes some of the council’s
priorities, but also proposes returning FEMA to a Cabinet-level
agency.
“Most current proposed FEMA legislation strengthens FEMA,” said Coen.
Actions sometimes contradict words
Some of the administration's actions so far contradict council
members' emphasis on expediency, mitigation and preparedness.
Noem now requires that she personally approve any DHS expenditure
over $100,000. That policy led to delays in the Texas response,
according to several reports, though Noem and acting administrator
David Richardson have refuted those claims.
The administration halted a multibillion-dollar program for climate
resilience projects, and Trump stopped approving hazard mitigation
funding requests for major disasters. FEMA abruptly canceled or
moved online some local preparedness trainings this spring, though
many later resumed.
On Monday, more than 180 current and former FEMA staff sent an
opposition letter to the FEMA Review Council and Congress, warning
that the agency is so diminished that a major climate event could
lead to catastrophe.
At least some of the staff were put on paid administrative leave
until further notice on Tuesday.
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